Van’s Gluten Free Cereal Review

I was at the supermarket the other day browsing the wide variety of cereals on display when Van’s Cinnamon Heaven Gluten Free Cereal caught my eye. Van’s? Like the shoes? No, apparently the shoe brand is named Vans and the cereal brand is Van’s. Subtle, but different. Van’s has been in business since the 1970’s with their original Van’s restaurant, famous for their waffles. They currently sell their delicious waffles, and other treats, to consumer’s nationwide in grocery stores.

Van’s Cinnamon Heaven cereal is advertised as gluten free, whole grain, and cinnamon. The simple box design and the shape of the wafer-like cereal looked elegant and tasty, respectively. I’ve never heard of this brand before and was eager to try it, so I gave it a shot and bought it. Once I got home, it was go time. It was 7 PM, but I like to eat cereal for dinner, because I’m an adult and I can have cereal whenever I want. Here’s my Van’s gluten free cereal review on their Cinnamon Heaven option:

Quality

I like to read the nutrition label, ingredients, and and the box while I eat my cereal. Multitasking is the way to go. Some highlights already mentioned are that it’s made from five whole grains, it’s certified GF, and it’s cinnamon flavor. That alone had me, but here’s the complete low-down on this cereal (per serving).

These are some great features, but the cereal’s not perfect. It contains inulin, which has been shown to make some people produce a lot of natural gas after consuming it. If you’re easily affects by inulin, then I suggest you watch out, otherwise you might start passing gas more frequently. Thankfully, I’m not affected by inulin. However, I’m on a low carb diet, and I wish the carbs per serving were a bit lower. Currently, at 26g of carbs and 5g of fiber, it comes down to 21g of net carbs, which is okay, but the less the better. If you’re on a low carb diet as well, this might not be your best bet. Sugar also comes out to 8g per serving, could have been lower, but it is sweetened, so it’s too be expected. All those things aside, you cannot beat the taste: it’s amazing.

Taste

The cinnamon flavored option tastes amazing. I haven’t been able to try the Honey Nut Crunch, but I can definitely vouch for the Cinnamon Heaven. It’s exactly that, heaven. I’ve had other brands of glutenless and whole grain cereal, but the taste and texture always turned me off. The crunchiness of the wafer-like bites in Van’s cereal is phenomenal.

I ate mine with vanilla flavored Silk Almond Milk, that probably contributed to the taste as well, but together, they are a delicious tasting combo. I was completely floored by the taste, especially for a product free from gluten, and can’t stress this point enough. If taste is your main concern with this cereal, by all means buy it.

Cost

The downside is cost. It’s GF and whole grain, so this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to you, but regardless, I think it’s more on the pricier side. I bought mine at the local supermarket for $4.99. Currently, Amazon is selling it for $3.98, so that’s a $1.01 savings. Get it before it’s gone!

The box is rather light and thin, coming in at only 11oz of cereal. You’ll notice the difference right away if you’re used to eating big brand name cereals like me. At the $4.99 rate, that’s $0.45 an ounce! The cheaper Amazon variation prices it at $.36 an ounce. Regardless of price, I would definitely recommend this cereal at least once.